As winter maintains its frigid grip on Owatonna, and snow banks pile higher than some buildings in town, the new season of Healing Arts will provide warm, inviting, colorful works inside Owatonna Hospital…

Santa and Mrs. Claus made their annual appearance at the Owatonna Arts Center Saturday morning to help create indelible Christmas memories for local families.

While the center is of course focused on art, it’s also a community gathering place, conducting events throughout the year like Cocoa with Santa, said Silvan Durben, the center’s creative director. In fact, he refers to the main room of the arts center as “Owatonna’s living room,” due to the number and variety of events conducted there.